The Vertical City, Nar Shaddaa. They call it the Smuggler's Moon—an apt description based on the myriad of sentients shuffling back and forth with their illegal wares and hidden weapons. The narrow streets below criss-cross endlessly, soaring miles above the planet's surface. Exposed and uncovered, the streets offer a nearly perfect setting for someone with some skills with ranged weapons. A vantage point on the ledge of a towering structure of glass and steel offers a dizzying view of the cityscape.

Simple shops and merchants peddle both legitimate and illegitimate wares. Storefronts are just as plentiful as open-market pop-up tents, and the cantina's adapt the same lowlife air as the rest of the Smuggler's Moon. Enemies could be hidden in plain sight, whether one of the Hutts’ gangsters or mercenaries-for-hire looking to earn some credits. The streets are plagued with violent gangs and the general riff raff of the poor and destitute. They may be an ideal place for blasters, but the winding streets are difficult to disappear from. An opponent would be easily boxed in and simple to finish with a few quick slashes of a lightsaber. The moon is dangerous—even for one gifted in the Force.

Appius didn't want to do this. He would rather be back at home in the Caelus System with his family. Not to mention the target in question was none other than Ellisyn Kendis; Koda's sister, Sulla's adoptive mother, and Darrio's lover.

Appius didn't want to go after her. He and Darrio were in the process of mending their broken relationship, and this would likely throw a thermal detonator's worth of spanners into the mix. Would it even be possible to mend their relationship after what he was about to do? What about Sulla? She was Appius' niece regardless of blood. Would she be able to forgive him eventually?

Alas, it seemed it wasn't meant to be. The Crusaders had eluded him up to this point, a fact that was starting to grind on his nerves. He was Mandalorian, after all. What kind of Mandalorian worth their salt couldn't track down their quarry? He had to know they weren't a threat. He had to know that Taldryan was safe, that his family was safe.

Koda's words were not enough.

The OSI had watched Ellisyn's movements closely under Appius' orders. When he was informed she had uncharacteristically left Kasiya for whatever reason, he seized the opportunity.

Now, here he was, kneeling on a rooftop overlooking the streets of Nar Shaddaa. The sky was a murky colour, with light specks of rain pinging upon his helmet. In the distance, Appius could hear the sound of blaster fire as gangs looked to defend or claim turf, depending on the flavour of the day.

They were scum. All of them.

What the hell Ellisyn wanted in such a backwater, long-forsaken part of the Hutt world was beyond him, but that didn't matter. She was here, and she was alone. That was all he needed. Koda had been unfortunately tight-lipped after their fight, but maybe Ellisyn would be different.

Maybe he could finally get his answers regarding the Crusaders? At the very least, he hoped Darrio would be able to forgive him for what he was about to do.

Appius took a deep breath, looking over the edge of the roof to see Ellisyn below him in the narrow street. She wore her own set of finely custom-made Mandalorian armor.

Finally, he leapt, activating his jetpack to give him a steady, controlled fall and landing. The roaring flames alerted those around him to his presence, especially Ellisyn.

"You!" she said. "What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't a guy see how his future sister-in-law is getting on?"

Ellisyn seemed to tense at his words. "No, because that's not why you are here. What are you doing so far away from the Caelus System?"

"I could ask you the same," Appius crossed his arms over his chest. "It's a bit strange for an average everyday lawyer to leave her place of work wearing Mandalorian armor."

"What I'm doing here is none of your concern. It's a free galaxy. I'll go where I please, and wear whatever I want, even into areas not under your jurisdiction."

Ellisyn placed her hands on her hips, with her chin up slightly, looking triumphant.

Appius placed a hand under his chin. "I suppose the Crusaders are used to going into systems without permission."

Ellisyn's head lowered, seemingly meeting Appius' gaze behind her visor. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She sounded so sure of herself that Appius almost believed her.

"You do. When you so eloquently barged into my office to scoop Darrio off his feet, you were wearing armor with that crest on it; The burning candle with two wings. I know it's the mark of the Crusaders. Koda pretty much confirmed it when I confronted him about it."

"That stupid son of a… He was meant to be stripped of that when he left," Ellisyn hung her head low, but then shot back up to meet Appius' gaze. "I'd sooner die than betray my family, so if it's information you want, you'll have to get it over my dead body!"

Defiant, strong, and feisty. Appius could see why Darrio liked her. Still, he closed his eyes, lowering his arms by his sides.

"That can be arranged," he said.

Appius flung his left arm forward, grabbing hold of Ellisyn with a telekinetic grip. He pulled her towards him like she was bound to a rope on a tether, and she soared down the narrow alleyway towards him. Appius formed a fist with his right hand, drew it back, and launched it forward to smack Ellisyn in her head.

Ellisyn, to her credit, brought her arms up to defend herself. Appius' fist hit her forearms, though the impact knocked her to the floor.

Appius towered above her, raising his right hand above his head. Tendrils of electricity jittered between his fingertips as he readied to bring it down upon her.

In an act of skill, Ellisyn used her leg to sweep Appius off his feet, taking him by surprise. He fell to the ground, the lightning he commanded dissipating into nothing.

Ellisyn quickly shot back up to her feet and grabbed Appius by his shoulders. With near-superhuman strength, she launched Appius into a nearby metal shutter like he weighed little more than paper. He crashed against it, the shutter clanging and vibrating loudly from the impact.

'What the hell is it with these Crusaders and their freaky strength!?' Appius thought. First Koda, and now Ellisyn too? Were all of them like this!?

He didn't have time to dwell on that thought when Ellisyn's fist came flying towards him. His heart skipped a beat, and he tilted his head to the side in time to narrowly avoid being punched. The strike hit the shutter behind him, making a huge noise and leaving a large, fist-shaped indent in the metal.

Ellisyn went to strike him again, but Appius reacted quickly, pressing his palms into her abdomen. The resulting wave of telekinetic energy sent Ellisyn careening into the opposite wall, which she struck hard, spine-first.

Appius seized the moment to end the fight quickly. He summoned his weapon to his hand with the Force, igniting the emerald blades. They ruptured out the hilt with a vicious roar, and Appius lunged at his target.

He struck vertically, aiming to sever Ellisyn's arm left arm at her shoulder, though the Crusader was more nimble than she appeared and moved out of the way before Appius could hit her. The blade sliced into the wall like it was made of jelly, leaving orange saber marks in its wake.

Ellisyn backed away from him, and Appius swung horizontally. She bent backwards at a near ninety-degree angle, with the lightsaber narrowly moving over her head. Again, it sliced into the nearby wall.

'Got'cha!' Appius thought.

He swung his blade low. He only needed to catch her ankle, and then she wouldn't be able to walk.

To his surprise, Ellisyn leapt sideways. She used the narrow alleyway to her advantage, she ricocheted off of a wall, giving herself some breathing room from Appius. For a big woman, she could really move. This wasn't going to be as easy as Appius hoped.

However, he didn't chase her down. Not this time. Instead, he slowly approached her, his weapon humming ominously in his hands.

"I'm impressed!" he said. "If you are this flexible all the time, then I think I understand why Darrio likes you."

Ellisyn clenched her fists at her side. "Is this a game to you!? What kind of leader do you think you are!? What kind of leader does the kind of thing you are doing right now!?"

"The kind with something to protect," Appius said. "As you said, this area isn't under my jurisdiction, but I know the Hutts well enough, and trust me when I say they won't give half a damn about what we are doing here!"

Appius took another step forward, and Ellisyn braced herself.

"I'm going to give you one more chance. Tell me what I want to know. This doesn't have to end with violence," Appius held out a hand towards her. "Please…"

Ellisyn shook her head. "No. I'm giving you a chance. I'm giving you a chance to stop. This is stupid! How do you think Darrio will react when he finds out?"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," Appius said, his tone of voice low.

"Then eat sithspit!" She unclipped a smoke bomb from her waist and threw it into the space between herself and Appius. "What happens now is your own fault!"

"Smoke, huh?" Appius mumbled as the grey fog enveloped him. Was she stupid? Smoke would only give Appius the advantage. "Darrio told me you were smart-" the man's taunt was cut short as the hairs on his neck rose to attention. He raised his saber in defense, reaching out with the Force just in time to sense the hulking mass of a woman sprinting towards him.

Ellisyn was able to track the glow of Appius’ saber through the smoke, allowing her to narrowly avoid the horizontal swipe of the green blade as she flipped forward. Then, she grabbed onto his shoulders and used both her momentum and a quick, violent burst of speed from her jetpack to turn a simple evasion into a dangerous throw. She leveraged every advantage she had made for herself and threw him over her head out of the smoke and towards one of the many crowded streets of Nar Shaddaa.

The bright red Mandalorian crashed into a group of drunkards, dazed on top of a pile of groaning bodies. “He told me you were a halfway decent hunter!” Elly shouted as she fired off the engines of her jetpack. “Why don’t you prove it!” From there, the woman blasted off towards a building filled with unconscious thugs and scoundrels.

Appius hurriedly clambered out of the wriggling mass of inebriated beings, not wanting to burn them with his own jetpack, before lifting off towards Ellisyn. After a few moments in the air, his faculties came back in full force, allowing him to reach out through the Force in search of Ellisyn. Unfortunately, by the time he caught up to her, she had already reached what looked to be an abandoned warehouse with bodies scattered around its walls.

'Well, that's certainly not grim in the slightest.'

If the display of bodies was meant to intimidate Appius, then it sorely failed. With his senses open, he could feel in the Force that the vast majority of those here, if not all of them, were still alive. They were just beaten and seriously injured.

It said a lot to him about Ellisyn. She wasn't the type to kill, at least not without reason. That might make his job a lot easier.

His lightsaber hummed in his right hand, and he sheathed the weapon, placing it on his waist. He approached the large, double durasteel doors that led within the warehouse, and raised his hands towards it. The large metal doors shuddered before being forcefully opened by Appius' power.

Appius wasn't about to take any chances. Nothing announced his entrance like the grinding of steel on duracrete, and Ellisyn was likely prepared for him. He summoned his Darksaberstaff back to his hand with the Force and pressed the ignition. Twin emerald blades ruptured out of each side of the hilt, the krayt dragon-like roar of the crystals within the weapon echoing off of the walls of the abandoned warehouse.

Appius took several big steps forward. His footsteps tapped against the duracrete floor. He looked left, then right. In the thin light, he couldn't see her.

She was here. He knew she was.

"Ellisyn, I know you're here. I can sense you," Appius said. He closed his eyes. "Yes, I can sense you. Anger, and regret… I can feel them coursing through you… two very conflicting emotions, don't you think?"

There was no answer.

"You're right, you know. I don't want to fight you, but I have something I need to protect. A family, people I care for more than anything. This is bigger than Taldryan, bigger and more important than the Republic. You can understand that, can't you?"

There was still no response.

"This doesn't have to end in violence. I'm sure you're a good person, Ellisyn. Darrio is happier thanks to you. In a weird way, I suppose I'm indebted to you for that," Appius allowed himself a small chuckle and then stopped. "Yet, I can't stop this nagging feeling in the back of my head, like something isn't right. Do you want to know what I fear most, Ellisyn? I fear what I don't know. I'm afraid of not knowing my enemy. I'm afraid of not knowing if I'm a good Chancellor, and I'm afraid of not knowing everything that is going on at my doorstep. The fear of the unknown is a very real thing to me, and I live with it every day in my position. That's what I fought with Koda, and that's why I'm fighting you now. Help me, Ellisyn. Help me understand the Crusaders. We don't have to fight anymo-"

Appius heard something tap along the floor to his right. Was it a pebble? A bit of wood? It didn't matter. He instantly pointed his lightsaber in the direction of the noise, sparks of electricity appearing in the fingertips of his spare hand.

There was nothing there.

The Force screeched to Appius in his mind, and he spun to face the incoming threat it warned him about. He moved to blast Ellisyn with Force Lightning, but she was that little bit faster and slapped Appius' hand away from her body as she struck out of the darkness. Lightning careered from his fingertips into the void away from them.

He then brought his weapon in front of him to defend himself, but Ellisyn punched it out of his grasp before he could use it. It clamoured across the ground, out of sight and out of mind.

Ellisyn struck at him with nimble strikes, and Appius backed away before he could be struck. Her fists were a lethal weapon in their own right, and it was becoming apparent she was more skilled than him in hand-to-hand combat. He couldn't find an opening to strike back, and she was faster and physically stronger than he was.

'I need to get some distance!' Appius thought, ducking under a strike intended for his head.

He poured the Force through his body, and attempted to leap over her. However, as he did so, she grabbed a hold of his ankle, and threw him into a pile of wooden boxes. They broke on impact, splinters digging into what little exposed flesh was unprotected by his beskar.

"You are so full of crap!" Ellisyn said. "I used to think Darrio was the most damaged out of the two of you, and I accepted that! I love him anyways, but no. I was wrong. He's not the most damaged, you are. You're just better at hiding it!"

Appius pulled himself out of the debris he was buried in as Ellisyn continued.

"You don't fear the unknown, you fear not having any control! You can lie to yourself all you like, but you hate not having any control over things in your life, and you use it as an excuse to justify making terrible decisions!" Ellisyn placed one hand on her hip and pointed at him. "I refuse to tell you anything about my family. You don't deserve an answer!"

A fire rose within Appius, the hairs on his arms standing on end as his jaw tensed. He slowly removed his helmet and tossed it aside. If he was going to look at her now, it was going to be with his own eyes. He had one answer for her;

"So be it."

Appius launched his anger at her in the form of tendrils of lightning that crackled and illuminated the space between them like strobed lighting.

Ellisyn’s shield activated and absorbed the tendrils of lightning just long enough for the Lawyer to swing her arm left, redirecting the lighting and giving her an opportunity to activate her jetpack and blast up into the darkness.

From the shadows, she called out to Appius, "You're a self-centered narcissist. Your brother has finally found happiness, and you're trying to take me from him because you're worried? You don't know the first thing about protecting your family." Ellisyn had long since retired her use of her jetpack; instead, she quietly climbed around the scaffolding of the dimly lit building, keeping herself out of view.

The vigilante unclipped the flash grenade from her belt and pulled its pin.

10

She narrowly avoided a blast of lightning, and the scaffolding beside her quickly turned into a melty mess. “You shut up!” Appius shouted into the darkness above.

9

He easily dodged a metal bar sloppily thrown at him, sending a volley of electricity in response. The crackling strobes lit up the warehouse just enough for him to see the woman with his eyes, something he foolishly saw as a mistake on Ellisyn’s part. The Firrerreo used every flash of light as an opportunity to feint her movement, frustrating Appius.

8

With lightning getting him nowhere, Appius changed his strategy. Reaching into the Force, Appius lifted the various metal scraps and wooden shrapnel that surrounded him, and with an angry shout, he launched the debris toward the roof above him. Ellisyn cried out in pain as wooden scraps lodged themselves in her lower torso, tearing through her body suit and digging into her flesh.

7

She fell.

6

She didn’t move.

5

Appius approached.

4

Reaching his hand out, he called his saber to him.

3

He activated the blade, the roar of a krayt dragon echoing through the nearly empty space. Having finally reached the crumpled mass of a woman, he mumbled, “Forgive me, vod.”

2

He raised his arms, about to plunge the blade downwards, when alarm bells rang in his head. There was danger coming.

1

“Hut’uun,” Ellisyn growled. She flicked the flashbang up, the grenade level with Appius’ eyes, when it finally exploded, lighting up the whole warehouse like a star for a scant moment before darkness once again took over. While Ellisyn had shielded her eyes, Appius had no time to prepare and was thoroughly blinded.

He couldn’t hear his own cries of pain. The only indication of the shouts was the scratching in his throat from a guttural cry.

An equally deafened Ellisyn slowly clambered to her feet, tearing off her helmet and hurling it to the ground, shattering the visor. Blood dripped from the crease of her mouth, forming a rivulet down her chin, gliding down her silver skin. Tendrils of gold tore across her flesh as she barely held onto control, pushing her latent power into the depths of her heart.

Her lips parted in a feral grin, her tongue sliding across her bloodied teeth. No more running. No more hiding. It was time to end this. The first sound to pierce Appius’ deafened ears was the feral roar that shredded Ellisyn’s vocal cords right before her fist connected with his jaw. He started to stumble back but crumpled down to one knee when the Firrerreo planted her boot into the side of his right leg, the gut-wrenching sound of bones splitting ringing out past the warehouse walls.

Feebly, he tried to raise his fists and mount a counter-offensive. He threw a telegraphed punch toward the blurry image of Ellisyn’s torn-up gut, one that the woman easily caught. She pulled his fist forward, forcing him to extend his arm so she could slam her elbow into his own, breaking yet another limb.

The hulking mass of muscle stepped to the side, allowing Appius to fall to his hands and knees, supporting himself on just two limbs. But he would not be given respite. Instead, Elly slammed her foot into his side, cracking ribs and sending him sliding away into a wall.

Her chest heaved. The only times she ever had to exert herself like this was when training with her aunt Thea. But unlike her sparring sessions, Ellisyn had come out on top. She strode forward, pain in every step as adrenaline slowly faded away. Though compared to Appius, she was the pinnacle of health.

Favoring one leg, she stood above the Supreme Chancellor as he faded in and out of consciousness. Using her injured foot, she turned him onto his back and knelt beside him. She retrieved the pair of stuncuffs from her belt and forced his wrists into the binds. The Vigilante tightly gripped the wrist of Appius’ broken arm and lifted him up as she stood. She held his hands above his head while drawing her sword. She slammed the blade into the wall, just below the cuffs, so he’d be forced to stay upright. A message to those who crossed her.

She pulled a shard of glass out of her side and slammed it into his gut, digging into the space between the armor plating. She pushed and pushed, lodging it all the way in and leaning in close to his ear, muttering, "Pray to whatever gods you believe in that the Nar Shaddaa police actually come to save you."

Ellisyn backed away from the man, her eyes taking in the high and mighty Appius Wight, reduced to a bloodied mess. The woman’s thoughts were interrupted by shouting and sirens. She had contacted the authorities after she cleared out the warehouse the first time. It was a miracle their fight wasn’t interrupted.

With no time to spare, Ellisyn retrieved her helmet and escaped... into the night.